Paramedics For Children is scouring the country for surplus ambulances, and emergency
medical equipment to take to Honduras. Based out of Charlotte, North Carolina Paramedics For Children is an all
volunteer organization dedicated to bringing aid to the children of third world countries.
The first ambulances are to be transported by boat to Honduras where they will be reconditioned, and sent to various
villages throughout Honduras, with the first units being deployed in the town of Copan Ruinas. Rodger Harrison
director of Paramedics For Children explained, "Emergency medical services of any type are non-existent for
many of the the poor people in the out lying areas of Honduras. It's the children, and the elderly who seem to
suffer the most." Harrison got the idea of sending these ambulances to Honduras after seeing, and experiencing
first hand the effect of a natural disaster that took place there last year. That was Hurricane Mitch, as it slammed
into Honduras causing millions of dollars in damages, and killing some ten thousand Hondurans.
Harrison went on to say" it takes a disaster like this to show you just how bad things can get. Here in the
USA we have thousands of surplus ambulances, and rescue vehicles just sitting around, and going to waste. If these
units had been in place during Mitch we could have saved a lot of people.
Founded in April of 1997 PFC has been active in Honduras for the past two years, and was one of the first relief
groups into Honduras after Hurricane Mitch. Besides aiding the Hondurans in setting up all volunteer EMS services,
PFC also coordinates relief flights of food, and medicine into third world countries such as Colombia, Jamaica,
and Honduras. |
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Rodger Harrison, Director of Paramedics For Children
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In April of 1999 PFC sent a cargo plane load of much needed medical supplies into
Honduras. Harrison went on to say, "Because we are small we can mobilize fast, and react to any emergency
that we have funding to respond to, in fact, many of our contributors also volunteer to go with us." Harrison
also added, "We take great pride in the fact that all of the money, and supplies we receive, are delivered,
directly by us to the people of Honduras. Our contributors like that a lot. After all, paramedics are natural born
problem solvers. We don't spend a lot of time talking, we just get the job done."
For more background information on Paramedics For Children please visit their
web site at:
http://www.paramedicsforchildren.com.
E-Mail Us Click Here
9709 Emerald Point #2
Charlotte, NC 28078
704-504-1256
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